Augusta resident and PGA Tour caddie Tim Giuliano: ‘November Masters brings a shining light of hope and positivity’
By T.J. Auclair · April 9, 2020
As we all know, if it weren’t for the devastating COVID-19 pandemic that’s being brutally felt around the globe right now, it would be 2020 Masters week.
The season’s first major was postponed in the middle of March due to concerns over coronavirus.
But, on Monday, we did receive some welcome good news – which is nice since there hasn’t been a whole lot of that lately.
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The 2020 Masters has been rescheduled for Nov. 12-15, meaning the first round will be played exactly two weeks before Thanksgiving. An early Christmas present for golf fans, if you will…
… And, certainly, an early Christmas present for those who are part of the Augusta, Ga., community, which banks – literally – on the Masters each April.
PGA Tour caddie Tim Giuliano, an Augusta, Ga., resident, sent TCN a note to put the news of a November Masters into perspective:
“As a resident, I can tell you first-hand how much this tournament means to us and how grateful we are for all that Augusta National does for the community here,” Giuliano said. “The tournament brings in a lot of business to the city every year and everyone embraces the tournament and golf fans with open arms. Leading up to the tournament, local businesses do well as residents prepare and upgrade their homes for the tournament visitors. A lot of service industry workers like restaurant staff and Uber/taxi drivers rely on the boost of income from tournament week. It’s a big reason why a lot of folks choose to locate in Augusta because they know the tournament will be a constant fixture in the annual schedule.”
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Naturally, all the fallout in sports due to the coronavirus presented a huge concern.
“The coronavirus has become a real shock to Augusta residents, casting a sense of uncertainty and closing down a lot of businesses during an expected busy booming season,” Giuliano added. “Despite these tough times, the news earlier this week of the tournament being rescheduled in November has become a shining light of hope and positivity. Many of us rejoiced and celebrated the good news. November is a beautiful time of the year in Augusta.
“Our fall weather has the potential to be really great, but we can also get some cold, wet weather as well,” he said. “The variability could make it quite exciting and have the potential to forge a different type of champion. I think it will be quite exciting to see the course played that time of year because it can be very challenging. It has never been played in the fall so the unknown creates hype and anticipation, all of which will result in great energy come tournament time. Most important, however, is that we all remain hopeful that the coronavirus goes away and we have a successful 2020 Masters in November. It will be a unique experience for us all having two Masters Tournaments in a 5-month span. Until then, we are staying safe at home, and spending time with our families.”
